Hacking the PSP Blog

Lollapalooza teams with Sony on PSP content

If you're planning being in Chicago August 4-6th to attend the musical event Lollapalooza, you'll be interested to know you can use your PSP as a way to warm up for the three days of 130 bands across eight stages. Sony has hooked up with the music festival to make available for fans Lollapalooza wallpapers, Perry Farrell interviews and music compilations by Lollapalooza artists. Available shortly as well will be a Lollapalooza program guide that you can load onto your PSP system and bring to the event. This guide will have information like artist bios, the performance schedule and the festival map. Finally, there's a sweepstakes going on a Playstation.com, including winning a trip to Chicago for the festival.

Source: PSPWorld

Nintendo takes a stab at the PSP Racist Ad (pretty funny, check this out)

I found this on Joystiq today. I think it's fake, but either way, either Nintendo or someone with Photoshop skillz has a great sense of humor:



From the Joystiq article:

Sony's racy (racial?) new PSP ad has caused quite a stir. Thanks to Ctrl+Alt+Del's Tim Buckley, we now have a good idea what Nintendo would have done if given the same billboard.

Tim Buckley also adds his own two cents on the billboard, which is only being shown in Holland. Have we gone nanners?

[Thanks, Rodents]

NAACP Take Issue With Dutch PSP Ad

Wow, to think Sony wouldn't think that a white girl grabbing a black girl by the neck and saying "White Is Coming" is racist? I mean, no way, man :: blink ::

From Gamasutra:



The controversy that erupted earlier this week surrounding a new advertisement promoting the release of the new ceramic white PSP model from Sony in the Netherlands has now drawn pointed comments from California Assemblyman Leland Yee.

The long-time anti-violent game advocate and politician, along with the San Jose/Silicon Valley chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), has condemned the billboard advertisement, which is not running in the UK or North America, and from which pictures appeared online earlier this week.

According to a GamePolitics report, Yee issued a formal statement regarding the Benelux-only advertisement, which features a white woman holding a black woman by the jaw and the tagline 'PlayStation Portable White is Coming'. Titled “Sony stoops to new low with racially charged ad”, the statement expresses Lee's displeasure with Sony's decision to run the ad, though Sony has noted that the advertisements were simply designed in a way that would show contrast between the existing and new PSP colors.

“I am deeply disappointed in Sony's senseless decision to publish this racially-charged advertisement,” noted Yee in his statement. “I can't begin to determine Sony's motivation but I believe this marketing strategy is unnecessary and is clearly offensive to many in our community.”

He added: “Whether in the US or abroad, using differences in skin color to articulate the fact that your video game console now comes in white can be interpreted as insensitive at best and racist at worst.”

In addition, Rick Callender, the chapter president of the NAACP has issued a similar response. “The days of blacks being portrayed in minstrel shows are long gone, and with good reason," commented Callender. “The minstrel show was an awful chapter in history and this ad smacks of that age and time. It is even further unacceptable that some corporations still think it is okay to use racially charged media images.”

He concluded: “The latest Sony ad conjures up bad memories of when stereotypical and offensive images of people of color were accepted means of selling a product. Sony should immediately apologize and discontinue these archaic, advertising tactics.”

This marks the second time in recent months that Sony has come under fire for its PSP advertisements overseas. Recently Sony Computer Entertainment Europe was also called out for its PSP advertising campaign, which included a series of posters depicting phrases such as "Your girlfriend's white bits here" and "Take a running jump here" that were primarily placed in outdoor locations, as well as on billboards and buses. However, UK-Government backed Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) eventually opted not to uphold the 45 complaints filed against Sony for the campaign.

Beware of PATCHED Grand Theft Auto! Here's how to tell if the store copy is what you want!

It appears Grand Theft Auto's hole that allows homebrew to run has been patched in the latest copies shipping from Rockstar Games... so, before you buy a copy to run homebrew, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A VERSION THAT CAN RUN HOMEBREW! Gameplay has *not* been improved by the patch.

So here's how to tell by looking at the spine of the game case...

For the U.S./North American version of the game:

ULUS 10041 means it is *not* patched (confirmed by Jamie at PSPUpdates). We're not sure what the patched ones look like yet.

For the E.U./United Kingdom version of the game:

ULES00151# means it's not patched. However, if it has ULES00151#2 (note the added "2"), then it *is* patched.

For now, your best bet for finding an unpatched copy (and there are probably many still out there brand new) is to buy a used copy at a GameStop or an E.B. Games.

Thanks to PSPUpdates for updating us on this as well.

Hacking PSP Author on Radio Tomorrow: Castellini on Computers

I'll be in Rick Castellini's radio show, Castellini on Computers tomorrow between 11am-2pm MST. I think I am on around 1:15...

I will be discussing my book, Hacking the PSP, which you can find on Amazon and at most book stores worldwide, such as Barnes & Noble, Borders, and Fry's Electronics.

You can listen live at http://www.gcnlive.com/windowsmediafreeNtwk2.asx (requires Windows Media Player, which you likely already have!)

Call with your PSP questions!

Best,

-Auri